Rise Broadband Review: Plans, Pricing and Availability Compared

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Rise Broadband Home Internet rating

How we calculated our rating

Pros

• Availability in rural areas with no direct cables to the home
• Significantly higher data allowances than satellite
• Advanced Wi-Fi equipment and service available
• Growing fiber network

Cons

• Max speeds of only 100Mbps in most areas
• Line of sight to nearby wireless tower required
• Possible service disruptions in bad weather

Best Rise Broadband internet plans

If you're considering Rise Broadband for your home internet service, the connection type, fixed wireless or fiber-optic, plus pricing and available speeds, will depend on your location.

In areas serviceable for fixed wireless, which is the majority of Rise Broadband's coverage, speeds may range from 25 to 250 megabits per second. According to a Rise Broadband spokesperson, the provider has around "43,000 existing connected customers that are capable of getting 100Mbps speeds."

Fiber internet is capable of much faster speeds, up to 1,000Mbps from Rise Broadband, and is a better overall value, but availability is much more limited.

What else should you know about Rise Broadband? Read on for our full review, including what to expect on your bill and how the ISP compares to other internet providers.

Rise Broadband internet review

Rise Broadband's fixed wireless internet won't blow you away with blazing speeds or super-cheap pricing, but you may find the Wi-Fi service and low latency impressive. Depending on where you live, Rise Broadband could easily be the best choice for speed and overall value.

Suppose satellite and DSL are your only other options. In that case, I'd most likely prefer Rise Broadband due to its pricing, faster speed potential and higher data allowances, although DSL may be the cheaper, faster option in some areas.

On the other hand, if cable or fiber internet is available, I would look to those providers first before considering Rise Broadband. That said, Rise Broadband does have a small but growing fiber presence capable of delivering gig speeds.

Rise Broadband pricing, equipment and fees

A starting monthly price of $55 for max speeds of 25 or 50Mbps -- with a cost per Mbps above $1 -- is high compared to most ISPs, but it's not all that bad for rural internet. In select areas, faster plans of 100Mbps starting at $75 and 250Mbps at $95 are available and a much better value.

After the first year, your bill may increase by around $10. Rise's introductory rates vary by location, so the exact jump might to standard pricing be more or less than that. Still, the increases are smaller than you'll see with many other providers. Hughesnet and Viasat rates may increase by $25 or more after the first year.

Rise Broadband equipment rental and installation

Fixed wireless service comes with a $10 equipment rental fee for the receiver antenna and modem, but the fee may be waived in select areas. Fiber service does not have the same fee since an antenna is not required. Either way, if you want Wi-Fi, you'll have to pay an additional fee to rent a router.

Renting your Wi-Fi router will cost you $15 per month, plus $5 for each Deco pod you want to add to your network for better whole-home coverage. It's an added expense, but you may find it to be well worth it, particularly if you're interested in trying out a mesh router.

One device should be enough for small homes and apartments, but you might want to try adding a second or third device as an extender if the primary signal isn't reaching far enough throughout your home.

A Rise Broadband technician will install and configure your router(s) during the initial installation, even if you supply your own, which is nice. That means if you provide your own, you'll need the router you intend to use at the time of installation. Rise Broadband's installation fee for new service is steep at $150, but that fee is often waived when you sign up.

Data caps and contracts

Most Rise Broadband plans come with unlimited data, others may have a monthly cap of 250GB. That's a decent amount of data, but you'll want to be mindful of your usage as the average household often uses more than that each month.

Exceeding your monthly data cap will result in a $15 charge for each 10GB block required to accommodate your overage. That's higher than most other ISPs charge, so be sure to keep an eye on your usage if you have a cap with Rise Broadband. It is pretty simple to monitor your monthly data usage online, and the company will send you a notification each time it charges an overage fee.

As for contracts, Rise Broadband is primarily a month-to-month service, so you shouldn't have to worry about early termination fees or that senseless upgrade fee. Some locations and promotions may require a contract (with ETFs up to $125 on one-year contracts and up to $250 on two-year agreements), so be sure to ask if your service comes with one when signing up.

Rise Broadband is available in 16 states with rural parts of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas and southern Wisconsin seeing the greatest coverage. Availability, and the speeds you can get, depend on your home's proximity to a local signal tower. To be eligible for service, your home will need a direct line of sight to the tower.

The fiber side of Rise Broadband is currently available in the Decatur and Springfield areas of Illinois, parts of East Bernard, Ferris, Lubbock and Wallis in Texas, and around Webb City and Carthage in Missouri. That's more locations than just a year or two ago, and fiber expansion continues to grow.

How does Rise Broadband internet compare?

Rise Broadband has greater availability and faster speeds than many fixed wireless providers, although pricing may be higher, especially when considering the added fees. It's not likely that you'll have the choice of Rise Broadband and other fixed wireless providers, so let's compare Rise to other common rural internet options.

Rise Broadband vs. satellite internet

If your internet connection comes down to Rise Broadband and satellite from either HughesNet or Viasat, Rise Broadband will be the better value. Compared to satellite internet, Rise Broadband comes with lower long-term pricing, latency low enough to support online gaming and much more data.

Both internet connection types are susceptible to service disruptions from rain, snow and even the wind, but fixed wireless connections pose less of a risk than satellite. This is because the signal has a shorter distance to travel and therefore is less likely to encounter bad weather along the way.

Rise Broadband vs. 5G home internet

Cellular internet providers, such as Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet, may be cheaper and faster than Rise Broadband in select areas. Verizon has a speed range of 85 to 1,000Mbps and unlimited data starting at $70 a month, but the service is not widely available in rural areas. T-Mobile offers a bit more coverage with service starting at $50 a month for expected max speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps. 

Rise Broadband vs. DSL internet

DSL internet service, another popular choice for rural internet, can vary widely by provider and location. In some areas, DSL providers such as CenturyLink and Kinetic by Windstream can deliver speeds of 100Mbps for prices comparable to Rise Broadband. These speeds aren't typical with DSL, and many rural locations will only be eligible for sub-broadband download speeds. If that's the case in your area, you'll probably find Rise Broadband to be the better provider.

Rise Broadband vs. cable and fiber

Cable providers, including Mediacom, Spectrum and Xfinity, are available in many Rise Broadband service areas. Some locations, such as Irving, Texas and Salt Lake City, may also have access to fiber-optic internet. Cable and fiber-optic services will almost always offer faster speeds than you can get with fixed wireless service from Rise Broadband. You're also likely to have more plan options and better reliability since you'll have a wired connection. In short, if cable internet or fiber-optic service is available, it's almost certainly going to be the better option.

What do customers think of Rise Broadband?

Customer satisfaction resources like The American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power do not include Rise Broadband in their reports, so official customer satisfaction indicators are scarce. 

Turning to the Better Business Bureau, Rise Broadband has held an A-plus rating since 2015. Overall, the number of filed complaints is relatively low, with only 35 -- all closed -- over the last 12 months. Additionally, Rise Broadband received a customer review average of 4.12 out of 5 stars, which is exceptionally high among internet service providers.

Rise Broadband customer service

When it comes to customer service, Rise Broadband is as accommodating as any provider. Its customer care line (844-816-9149) is not available on Sundays, it is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. On the other hand, tech support (877-910-6207) is available seven days a week -- 7 a.m. to midnight ET, Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.

Rise Broadband is also one of the few providers accessible by email, which can be convenient if you don't have a pressing concern and don't want to wait on hold. Other than email, there's no practical online customer or technical support available. There's no live online chat function on the Rise Broadband website, and there's little to no order on the FAQ page, which could make it challenging to find the answers you need quickly.

To sum it all up

Rise Broadband is a decent choice for rural internet service with max speeds of 25 to 250Mbps available in parts of 16 states. Unlimited data options are available, too -- a rarity for rural internet -- but even if you don't choose an unlimited plan, the 250GB you get with the company's limited plans is enough for lots of online activity. Just try to avoid going over the data cap if you have one, as doing so will add to the monthly fees.

Rise Broadband FAQs